LOST & MISPLACED A2K people.

I just wanna toss in my 2¢-worth in here ...

A2K Moderating is a job, not a game or a popularity contest. It is based on the Terms of Service, it is a team effort, and its aim is to provide an overall superior experience for those using this website. Often, the job is tedious, sometimes it is frustrating, sometimes it becomes intense, and generally it is a job the performance of which rarely comes to the attention of the membership. To render a "computerspeak" anology, it is a "background task" sorta like an antivirus or a firewall ... it is there, it is running, it is doing things you want or need done, but it isn't "on the screen".

Nothing about the job is arbitrary or capricious, nothing about it has anything to do with any Moderator's personal philosophy, politics, sensibilities or preferences, nothing about it has anything to do with censorship of anything other than spam, ad hominem attack, hatespeech, porn, gratuitous vulgarity, persistent incivillity, privacy violation, illegal and/or other disruptive practices.

No one, for instance, ever is censored or banned or otherwise disciplined for political or philosophical viewpoint, though action may be and often is taken on the basis of how that viewpoint is expressed. Should one's conduct here remain reasonably within the boundaries of responsible, civil, mature discourse, as spelled out in the Terms, one will never fall afoul of The Moderators.

Should someone "Go Missing" from A2K, either it is by their own choice or it is due to egregious, often repeated, flaunting of the spirit and/or letter of this website's clearly stated policies. Whichever, the "Why" of it is no one's business other than that of the-specific-individual-at-question.

This website has over 25,000 members (hundreds of whom post regularly), currently has somewhere aroun 1,000,000 total posts, receives hundreds of posts a day, and is watched over by a very small team. Trite as it sounds, one may choose either to be part of the problem, or to be part of the solution. Should your personal preference be to participate in the solution, please feel free do so.

Don't kvetch or retaliate-in-kind or rumor-swap or second-guess, use the feature (available at the top right of every post) or the "Contact Us" feature available in the footer of every page, to bring your concern or question to the attention of the volunteers who are here to help everyone enjoy being here. Using "report" or "Contact Us" is a way everyone can participate in The Solution. Your communication may or may not receive a reply, may or may not result in action noticeable by you on the forums, but WILL be seen and considered by the A2K Moderating Team. Your help not only is greatly appreciated, but vital to the overall experience of everyone using this website.


There, I feel better now. End of rant. I'll shut up about it. For now. Somehow, I figure this is gonna come up again. And again.

If you say so.

That's good to know Timber

If I can be allowed one more critical sidenote on this, I see a lot of things being defended here at length by the moderators that were never questioned in the first place. Noone is saying people are being banned without good reason. Noone is alleging, here at least, unreasonable partisanness, let alone political persecution or anything. In fact, I think the posters who raised some points here have bended over backwards to assert their loyalty and respect to the moderators' job.

Though I appreciate the logic of Craven's earlier reference to the, let's say, "slippery slope" argument (any demand for even a minor degree of explanating on users' request represents a notion of the board being a democracy of sorts that is unfeasible to uphold considering the practical limitations on the moderators' job), I find it vaguely troubling that bringing up a relatively minor, rather practical matter, elicits such sweeping defenses of overall moderating performance and policy.


Yeah, in principle that sounds absolutely reasonable. But in practice we've seen some valuable posters being banned after they'd lost their temper - or, err, lost their temper repeatedly ;-). And fortunately, some have also returned here after a while again too, when they were deemed to have "cooled off" enough. Basically, the "only really bad guys ever get banned" thing doesn't really hold up. Note, I am not second-guessing the moderating decisions here - I am sure they took the appropriate action. I am merely saying that some good guys get banned too - lot of folks aint perfect, especially those spending their time surfing the web . And that in such cases, it's awkward when they've gotten disappeared, so to say, noone really knows what happened and they, being locked out, have no way of letting us know anymore either.

<shrugs> that was all, really.

I know where Blatham is..........he's got his hands way full. Not much time for him to post.

And I'm busy too......although I miss everyone. Maybe in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to dive back in again.

Got his hands full of what ... and just what are you "busy" with "too"? Sounds mighty suspicious to me ... I bet you two just snuck off together and are up to somethin', ain'tchya? :wink:

we is

So...is blatham a "tool belt guy" now?

It appears I touched a nerve. Sorry to be not a paying member, Craven, but that's the way it is. You vowed to keep this forum open and free. I accept that there are portions that I can't have access to. I'm not asking to have a say in anything, I just want to be able to speak my mind. So there, I've done it and I'm done.

Blatham, a tool belt guy???

ROFLMAO

<Blatham is a cutie....>

Perhaps the ease and frequency with which certain members find moderator comments and actions "troubling" is partly responsible for defensiveness you sense.



Swimpy, I'm having trouble understanding you. Paying members don't get any more of a say than you do. It clearly states as here.



And I have no problem with you speaking your mind, I simply chose to do the same. Not a nerve Swimpy, just trying to take the time to explain.

Not explaining means there's some foul mystery, explaining means defensive and nervy.

<shrugs>

Heads = lose, tails = lose.

I don't care, I have a bed for the first time in nearly two years. My ass thanks me and the rest of the world can pound sand for all I care.

And a happy ass means a happy man!!!

Sleep well.

I lol at that comment on the ass thanking

Ack.

This reminds me of work - where sometimes people get complained about in very public ways - even in the media - and they can in no way fight back - because the complainant has confidentiality. (I am not saying it is exactly the same, or anything!)

Of course folk are going to be shocked and puzzled when such a thing as Drom's disappearance happens - all of us greatly enjoyed her presence here. I am very sad, myself - and I imagine those of you who interacted more with her are commensurately more saddened.

Thing is, I have watched this site for a while now - while, thankfully, not having to deal with making any decisions about how it is run.

I recall thinking there should be more openness at the beginning - my whole normal ethos is one of openness and transparent decision making.

Then I got to watch as some delicate decisions WERE sometimes discussed on site - (Craven's legendary joust with a spammer is one example of this).

I noticed a pattern. Explaining stuff made it harder - and further explaining didn't make it better, it just got worse.

Thing is, we are all a pretty independent bunch of folk, right? People who like to argue, and thrive on discussion? (I hear somebody yelling "No! We're SHEEP!" and another disagreeing vociferously. See?) And we have lots of different beliefs and values - and our philosophies run from a desire for no control, to a joy in thrashing stuff out with no holds barred, to wishing that nobody said anything with which we disagree.

Explaining stuff here seems to be like a tarbaby - you touch it, and stick to it, and soon you are unable to move because of it - and, too, you have the phenomenon of good people misunderstanding each other (like Swimpy just did Craven re paying for A2k) and good people end up feeling distressed or angry with each other. Knowing how awfully it went against Craven's grain to allow any payment in the first place, I know how big a misinterpretation of Craven that was - but Swimpy, of course, did not know that, and how easily - indeed inevitably - such crossed wires appear. Then - the need is felt to clear up the misunderrstanding that has caused some distress - and so the tarbaby gathers another limb inot its sticky embrace.

It is a definite no win, as I see it, much though not discussing stuff openly goes against my grain, too. But I am well able to understand the "No explaining" decision that was made.

As Craven has said in a number of places, often (not any of you good folk here, I am sure) folk who disagree with a policy attack him very viciously and personally, and I think a couple of years (how long has it been?) of this tends to be enough to cause someone to begin to feel a little defensive. (Assuming that someone is human - which I THINK Craven is, lol, despite his occasional bouts of claiming god status - and shrubberies!)

Hmm - I seem to be blathering - I guess I am just trying to say that I understand why a bit of apparent defensiveness might appear - and that I understand and support the decision not to notify or explain bannings and such.

Panz,

From your profile, it looks like you have a tool or two handing from your belt as well. It should take one to know one.

and to Eva,

Yes, he is. He's an artist with tools. But he's not missing, he's just slightly misplaced for now.

Lola, I can't picture Blatham with a tool belt on, but anything is possible I suppose. I'll be finding out soon as I have plans to visit Vancouver this winter and I will insist that we compare our tools.

I understand the staff's dilemma, regardless of comments I've made. Nevertheless, we malcontents have to vent occasionally too.

Are you ever in New York? If you want to compare tools with Blatham, you'll have to do it here. You're welcome anytime.

Blatham, you rascal you!
I'm bummed; I was so looking forward to meeting jer and Blatham. NY is not probable but thanks for the invite.

No offense intended Blatham, I'm sure you're real handy with your tool.